Fly Above The Flowers
by 0Alykinze0
Summary: "Kyouya, are you afraid of dying?" Hide-n-seek, tag, wrestling, tickle-fights; why waste our precious seconds together doing something boring like kissing? Very course language, mild sensuality, yaoi. KyouKao.


**AN:** Whoa, believe it or not, I'm not dead. Fooled you guys for a while. I'm uber sorry I haven't updated in months, I've been super preoccupied with random crap. This is my first KyouKao fanfic, despite it being my favorite pairing ever atm. Prepare for an avalanche of shameless fluff. Not even kidding, the fluff-level is morbidly obese. Escape is not an option. **~Aly**

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If curiosity killed the cat, then boredom must've killed the dinosaurs and the dodo bird, and severely injured the tigers and pandas, because boredom was a plague that was much more prominent in my life than that overrated curiosity was. I could live with curiosity any day – my brother and I could usually conjure up some scenario that was significantly more interesting than what we were actually curious about. Eventually the answers to our curiosity became tedious, and we resolved to stick to our own wild imaginations as a supplement.

But boredom was different. It's the awful feeling of having nothing to occupy your time with, of lacking any ideas for any sort of reasonable pastime. It's obsessively checking the clock, waiting for something incredible to happen, and then after learning no time has passed whatsoever, wondering what you're waiting for in the first place. It's realizing you're wasting precious minutes sitting on your ass and making invisible creatures in the cracks on the sealing when you should be out in the sunshine.

And that being said, I was dying.

I wasn't in too critical of a condition, however - it was the sort of still breathing, but bleeding profusely from multiple wounds kind of dying. I had stuff to do, but I wasn't interested in doing any of them.

Truth be told, my death wasn't actually all that painful; sure, my blood loss was extensive, but heavy amounts of sweet, numbing, addictive morphine was sparking throughout my veins. That morphine had me locked tight in his arms, sprawled across his plush loveseat, and through the light kisses and whispers, I decided dying wasn't so bad.

"Kyouya, I can practically feel the light leaving my eyes. I think I need to draft my will soon or it'll be too late. Oh fuck. Too late. My soul has just departed from the weak human vessel that was once my body and has started its long ascent to the holy kingdom of-"

He cut me off, smacking the side of my head playfully. "Are you trying to insult me? I refuse to believe that you'd rather die than keep kissing me."

I squirmed in his arms to look into his eyes - his glasses had been haphazardly discarded on the night stand and replaced by contacts hours before. He had a perfectly content half smile on his face. "It's not kissing you," I defended, wrapping my arms around his neck, "It's making out with you for like three hours straight, and doing absolutely nothing else," I complained.

"I find nothing wrong with it," he argued, and bent down to brush my lips for the millionth time that afternoon.

"That's because you're the low blood pressure evil Lord," I protested against his mouth. "You'd be perfectly happy staying in bed for centuries if it meant getting in my pants."

"So would you," he murmured, pressing his lips to my jaw.

"Not for an extended period of time. Us Hitachiins are famous for our quickie fetishes. Who wants to bang for hours on end anyway?"

"Me," Kyouya quickly countered I'm a mocking tone, and now it was my turn to hit him. He chuckled as I pulled back from him a few inches and crossed my arms.

He trapped me in place with his arms around my waist. I pouted, struggling to get up. He pulled us both up to a loose sitting position with me tangled over his lap.

In angry defiance, I muttered, "I'm bored."

He grinned, leaning close to me and ghosting an Eskimo kiss across my nose. "What would you like to do, Kaoru?"

"I have no clue. That's the problem. That's why I'm dying."

"I'm sure we can think of something."

"That's the thing, though," I criticized, "You're lacking considerably in the creativity department."

He arched an eyebrow at me and shrugged. "Fine. I'll leave you to it, then. But in the meantime-"

He flipped us over so he was looming over me. Wisps of dark hair cascaded over his cheekbones as he whispered, "I guess you'll have to live with your boredom a few moments longer."

Before I could, or even wanted to, protest, he pinned my hands above my head and attacked my lips feverishly. With one hand binding my wrists carefully, he slowly trailed his other hand to pick at the hem of my thin t-shirt. He slid his hand up my shirt, tracing the planes of my chest with teasing fingers. He traced mindless patterns into my abdomen as he moved his lips to my neck.

I sighed, letting my eyes close and my breathing accelerate. I subconsciously struggled against his hold in my wrists; I wanted to fist my hands in his hair or run my nails down his back. I bit my lip as I felt him smile broadly against the smooth skin of my neck. "Not so bored now, are you?" He mumbled, and I gasped as he nibbled a sensitive area.

"You're just trying to seduce me you pedo-" He bit my neck roughly, and ran his tongue over the raw skin. "Fuck, Kyouya, that hurt."

He smirked and continued to bite his way up my neck until he reached my ear. "I'm only two years older than you. I don't think I qualify as a pedophile." I cringed as I felt him bite my earlobe harshly, and groaned lowly when I felt his tongue trace the shell of my ear.

"You're turning eighteen in less than a year, and I'm still fifteen. You're one sick bastard." I said, still a little dazed.

"I guess I am," he sighed, and started tugging my shirt, attempting to lift it off my torso completely. He only managed to expose the lower part of my chest before I interrupted him.

"I've got it!" I announced, coming to a bittersweet revelation.

He paused, confused and somewhat disappointed. "The seduction technique has failed yet again. You really are stubborn, Kaoru."

I smirked, untangling myself from him and jumping off the loveseat. I tried to control my erratic heart for a few moments while simultaneously stretching my cramped limbs - we really had been laying there for ages. Once I was calmed and focused, I challenged, "Let's play a game."

He stood up as well, perfectly composed. He asked the obvious follow up question while smoothing his messy hair.

"A sort of hide-n-seek meets tag. You have to not only find me, but catch me too. If you succeed, you can go ahead and have your wicked way with me and devour my soul and do other demon lord stuff. If you can't get me in, say, half an hour..." I tapped my chin, then a light bulb went off in my head. "You have to fly me to Europe."

He had an amused look plastered on his face until the last part. "It's a school night, Kaoru."

"I don't give a shit," I countered, "I wanna see Europe before dawn. We'll see the Eiffel tower, the leaning tower or Pisa, Big Ben...We don't need to go to sleep, you know."

He put his hands on his hips, studying me. I didn't often bluff.

"Sleeping is of vital importance in the daily routine of the Shadow King, as you very well know." I didn't answer him. Our eyes remained locked for a few more playful moments until he matched my smirk with some hesitancy. "However, seeing as the Shadow King never loses, I accept your challenge."

"I think the Shadow King will find that he is no match for the astounding competitive ferocity of the mighty...doppelganger."

He laughed. "I'm hardly afraid of someone with such a weak pet name. I would've thought you could do better, Kaoru."

I crossed my arms, an excessively serious expression marking my face. "Enough trash talking. Let's do this."

He offered his hand to me, and I shook it tensely, never tearing my gaze from his deep, mischievous onyx eyes. His lips were curled in a mocking grin, and his muscles were tensed and prepared under his thin, short sleeved button up polo. His pale skin radiated a flawless air of perfection - everything about him was both frightening and intriguing. I couldn't blame Milord or the rest of the club for their use of their demonic nicknames, because if anyone was intimidating, it was Kyouya. I knew it was just all talk, but I sometimes wondered if under his ungodly flawless facade was a mythical incubus lurking in wait to feast on my soul.

"Good luck," he said, kissing my cheek affectionately.

"You're going down, motherfucker," I replied, and he cracked a smile in spite of himself.

"Count to fifteen," I commanded, and after seeing his curt nod I sprinted out of his room, closing the door resolutely behind me. A new wave of childish determination crashed over me, and my spirit lifted a couple notches.

And so the hunt began.

I nearly tumbled down the elegant marble staircase, gazing around the vast entrance hall as I ran aimlessly. I passed a few ornate guest bedrooms, across a king sized bathroom to a glamorous dining hall, but I was at a loss for where to hide. Where would he never think to look? Was there anywhere he was unfamiliar with in his own house?

Flashing some passing maids and butlers dirty looks, I continued into one of the kitchens. I figured it was best to threaten the help as much as possible as if to dare them to clue Kyouya in on my location.

The kitchen I was in was petite but ridiculously extravagant; it contained silverware and cutlery fit not for royalty but for the gods themselves. Being filthy rich myself, I was used to ludicrously nice things, but even I felt the urge to be extra careful and not break anything. With a sinking heart I realized my fifteen seconds were most likely long overdone, so I scrambled into the walk-in pantry closest to me. It apparently was a cupboard designed exclusively for tea sets - china of every type imaginable were stacked on polished shelves that extended yards down into a black abyss of what was probably just more china. Everything looked like a giant pile of 'unreasonably expensive'.

I backed up against a space between shelves, trying to appear as flat as possible despite the closed door and utter darkness that was between me and the rest of the mansion. I forced myself to stop breathing and repress into myself.

A sharp ding made me jump a foot in the air and I hissed under my breath. "Damn," I whispered, hastily whipping the culprit out of my pocket. I flipped open my phone, letting my eyes adjust to the bright screen. I had just gotten a text.

_From: Kyouya_

_Please try not to break anything in there. I paid a lot for those tea sets._

A moment of silence passed. I calmly turned down the volume and brightness on my phone, then slipped it back into my jeans.

"Fuck you!" I shouted, then bolted as fast as I could down the opposite end of the long hallway. I heard soft, careful footsteps behind me, but I kept recklessly sprinting through the darkness. I knew I was screwed if all this china led to a dead end.

To my luck, there was a door at the end of the stretch. I fumbled with the doorknob for half a second before finally escaping into the light. I couldn't hear a pursuit behind me anymore, but that didn't stop me.

I found myself in one of his majestic libraries - after turning a few more corners and running up more staircases, I arrived at a guest bathroom on the third floor. I crept into a bathtub and pressed myself against the cold tiled wall, refusing to sit down in fear I'd have to escape again.

Something caught my eye near the drain of the tub. It was a crisp, folded piece of paper. Slightly wary, I picked it up and unfolded it slowly. My apprehension was soon lost, and I narrowed my eyes. It read:

_Dear Kaoru,_

_I just wanted to say that I love you. I hope you're having fun with this little game of yours. But your still not going to win._

My hand shook in frustration as I finished with the note. How had he known I'd come here? I faintly realized the note was probably bugged or something - I bet the moment I picked it up thousands of distress signals were sent to his evil demon lord senses and he was on his way now to capture me. Deciding it wasn't safe, I slid out of the tub and made my way to the door. With practiced caution I eased the door open by centimeters, and after making sure the coast was clear, I ventured into the hall once more.

I crisscrossed through a variety of rooms before settling under a desk in one of the offices or studies on the second floor. I leaned against the smooth mahogany of the desk, desperately trying to control my breathing. It was exhausting running from him. He had every trick in the book up his sleeve.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I spotted another professionally composed note lying delicately on the floor near the desk's chair. I grabbed it with considerably less caution then before and yanked it apart.

_Dear Kaoru,_

_Why are you still hiding from me? Stop running all over the place; just give up already. And remember, I love you._

I crumpled the note angrily in my fist and threw it at the adjacent wall. I ran a hand through my hair. Where did he find the time to do all this? I figured the notes were just prewritten and meant to scare me. There was no way he could possibly know where I would be going next, let alone have the time to write a note, get there before I did, hide it, and then disappear. I had no idea what to do or where to go next. What would he be expecting?

My pocket vibrated, and I hurriedly retrieved my phone. It said I had gotten another text. I was torn about reading it, but knew I didn't really have another option.

_From: Kyouya_

_Hey, I spent a lot of time writing that note. It was rude of you to crumple it up like that._

"Go to hell!" I screamed, and I jumped to my feet, but it was too late. He was leaning in the doorway, smirking at me with razors instead of teeth. I glared viciously at him, resenting his unfair intuitiveness.

"I've already been," he purred, "It's not all what it chalks up to be. Just a bunch of guys like me running around."

His dark eyes watched me carefully. I wasn't trapped, and he knew that too. There was one other door, directly behind me, that I could use to escape. He seemed to be waiting for me to make my move. He acted like there was no hurry. A quick look to the ornate grandfather clock in the corner told me we had burned ten minutes. I had to admit, he had the upper hand.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Catch me if you can!" I called, and whirled around to the door. I felt him hot on my heels, so I sprinted like never before, my heart thundering uncomfortably in my throat. The first room I reached was some sort of lounge. I looked around for another route, soon finding a closet in my line of sight. Without thinking I bolted for the double doors, slinging them open and launching myself inside.

Once there I quickly shut the doors, holding the doorknobs firmly closed in my shaking hands. I heard Kyouya enter the room casually, then saunter up to the closet. He paused there, and muttered, "You're stuck now. The only way out of there is this door, and I'm not budging."

I grimaced, my shoulders sinking. Now I was trapped. I vainly tried to think up some kind of plan of action, but failed to come up with anything substantial. A few minutes passed.

"You might as well give up," he added. I kicked the door as I paced the small area. "Shut up! I'm trying to think!"

He chuckled and murmured something that sounded like "Suit yourself," but I wasn't listening.

Desperate, I whipped out my phone and called Kyouya.

"Help, Kyouya! You need to come now! Pirates have taken over the host club, and an alien is trying to kidnap Haruhi! It must be the work of those devilish twins, the world is ending!" I must admit, my Tamaki impression was coming along quite nicely.

"Kaoru, I know this is you."

"What?" I screeched. "How could you mistake me for that evil twin? This is serious, you need to get over to the school, my sweet Haruhi's virtue is at stake!"

"Kaoru, I can hear you. You're standing five feet away from me. And the caller I.D. was you're number."

"Wrong! I'm in the closet with Kaoru, and I borrowed his phone! You still need to leave, though, because Kaoru's getting, like, really pissed off."

The phone connection cut off. He'd hung up on me.

"Nice going!" I shouted through the door, going back to my own voice, "How do you think Milord's going to react when he finds out Haruhi's innocence was taken by Martians? Not very well!"

"I'm sure he'll live," he answered. I was about to quip something back at him when he cut me off. "And before you concoct another scheme to get me to leave, which will undoubtedly fail, keep in mind we have about ten minutes until this little game of yours expires. I'm either coming in there, or you're coming out."

I glared at the door, not replying. I continued pacing the small space. Every now and then I would try threatening him with remarks like, "I'm about to set everything in the vicinity on fire" or "I'm gonna replace your sex cavern of a bed with an old army cot" or "I'll replace all the food in your kitchens with sprinkles and icing" but none of them had any audible effect on him. Feeling a bit guilty, though more triumphant than anything else, I resolved to resort to more drastic measures.

I eased the double doors open with agonizing caution. He looked mildly surprised but prematurely triumphant as well. With a grin he commented, "I thought it would've been harder getting you out of there." He shrugged as I burned holes into his skin with my glare. "Now then, where were we?" He mumbled as he pinned me against the wall.

I allowed a small smile of satisfaction to cross my face as he buried his face in my neck, biting his earlier wounds lightly. So far so good. I took a deep breath, then took my plan into action.

I elbowed him in the ribs, hard enough to stun him but light enough to not cause any significant damage. In the short period of time during his expected pause of surprise, I made a run for it. Also as expected, his cat like reflexes were no match for my plan, so he quickly grabbed my wrist and yanked me backward before I could get too far.

"Ah!" I gasped melodramaticly as I stumbled. I let an intense look of pain drift across my features.

Kyouya instantly let go of me and stepped back a few paces, frozen solid. In a panicked, crushed tone he asked, "Are you okay, what happened? Kaoru?"

My eyes became watery, and I sucked a breath in through my teeth. I tried to hide my unstoppable laughter with a hiss. "It's my wrist," I whimpered, using my best host club voice, "I think you might've dislocated it."

He looked like he would rather be dead than live knowing he had hurt me. His eyes looked like those of a dog about to be put down. It was satisfying, hilarious, and heartbreaking all at the same time to see him like this.

"Kyouya?" I asked timidly, making my voice crack adorably in all the right places.

"Yeah?" He asked, sounding defeated yet hopeful.

"I can't believe you fucking fell for that." I stayed just long enough to laugh in his face and see his features turn absolutely deadly. I bolted out of the lounge, never looking back.

This time I could feel him mere feet away from me, so I kicked it into overdrive. Without much thought I ran down the staircase to the sliding glass doors leading to the gardens. The Ohtori gardens were large and luxurious, but were, in my opinion, rather stale or too pristine. I always loved gardens that were wild or flawed in some way, not so carefully groomed and exact. Once I told Kyouya about this opinion I had - and after using Tamaki's garden as an example of what I preferred, he apparently got insanely jealous and decided to plant me a separate garden as close to Tamaki's without losing his own personal touch. I felt myself jogging past all of the perfect tulips, daffodils and daisies to my garden, hidden on the far edge of the property.

I navigated routinely through the tangled web of old oak and maple trees that decorated the outskirts of the property. My sneakers crunched against the leaves drowning the dry Autumn dirt as I sped through the woods. My footsteps were echoed by a slightly lighter, more agile pair mere inches behind me. I would be caught soon.

I was tackled to the ground just as I emerged into the meadow of violet roses and mossy vines. With a huff of surprise I toppled into a delicate patch of pomegranate roses, Kyouya falling on top of me, but careful not to direct any of his weight on me.

We tried to catch our breath for a few moments. He smiled down on on me, his eyes dancing with triumph. This was the first time I had ever seen him without his glasses in broad daylight; I couldn't help noticing how remarkably handsome he was, and how the light bounced off of his charcoal irises in just the right way. "I win," he declared quietly.

A sudden rush of ecstasy washed over me; I felt like the luckiest person in the world at the moment, in my favorite place, with my favorite person, doing my favorite thing - enjoying the sunlight and each other's company. The sun shone in erratic patches throughout the clearing, as it was getting dark and the spiny leaves of the trees overheard obscured its rays. The flowers were all healthy and overgrown, growing in sporadic patterns all over the place, all in different shades of purple; the roses in the middle were the blackest midnight. Whenever we wanted to escape we always found ourselves here. I couldn't imagine why he'd rather be indoors on the stupid loveseat forever than be out here.

A bubbly giggle escaped my lips. He looked at me oddly, and I said, "Not yet!" I flipped us over, this time pinning his wrists to the flowerbed above us. "Wrestle me," I purred, grinning broadly. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

It wasn't much of a match. He was just that much stronger than me. He flipped us over, then turned me so I was on my stomach. I tried to fight back - I resorted to the elbowing technique again, but this time aimed for his balls - but he grabbed my arms and secured them behind my back before I could do any damage.

"Got you now," he growled, his mouth close to my ear. In a last stitch effort, I used all of my force to swing my legs to the side in hope of knocking him off my body. It worked for a second, but before I could wriggle my arms out of his grasp he had picked me up completely, thrown me on my back, sat on my legs and bound my wrists above my head once more, all while I was screaming my head off for the police or army or Superman or something. I couldn't move an inch, which only infuriated me more - why did he have to win absolutely everything?

"I call for a rematch!" I whined. "Isn't there a penalty for, like, monopolizing your opponent? I can't move, at all. That's not a fair fight."

"Who said I didn't fight dirty?" He mocked, and I wanted to hit him more than ever, but was still paralyzed in his hold. As I continued to struggle, he threatened, "Still trying to escape, are you? What a little troublemaker you are. If you don't surrender, I'll have to resort to tickling."

"Dear God," I breathed, genuinely terrified. "Not that. Anything but that," I begged pathetically.

"Too late," he announced, and went in for the kill.

It was embarrassing how ticklish I was. I was more ticklish than any five year old I knew, and unfortunately he used that knowledge to my disadvantage. I could think of nothing more cruel than being tickled to death - it was the worst way to go, besides boredom of course.

He savagely attacked my stomach, underarms, neck, any place he could reach. I clawed at him with my razor sharp nails, kicked him as hard as I could with my stiff sneakers, but any injuries he sustained seemed to go straight over his head. Nothing could faze him.

"Kyouya, you bitch, I swear to God," I gasped out between giggles, but he suddenly brushed a really sensitive place and I cut myself off with an uncontrollable, painful laugh. My stomach was aching dully from laughing so much; soreness radiated throughout my body, but I couldn't stop the guffaws from slipping out. He was damn good at this.

"I don't think you're laughing hard enough," he muttered after a half crazed giggle escaped my lips. A sadistic smile was spread across his face; I thought it was sick he could get so much joy from torturing me like this. "Maybe I'll have to aim for your sides..."

"Please, no," I begged, abandoned my pride. I was more ticklish in my sides than anywhere else in my entire body - tickling me there was instant death. Gasping in shuddering breaths, I begged quickly, "Don't, Kyouya, or I'll wring your neck in your sleep tonight. I'm being fucking serious."

He stopped for a second, studying my desperate face. I tensed my body for another attack, on edge. After a moment he declared slowly with a smile in his voice, "I'm not scared of you," and continued to tickle the hell out of me.

I screamed bloody murder when his sinister hands brushed my sides, and shouted obscenities even awful to my ears at him when he increased his intensity. A few more seconds of the abuse went on until he either decided I'd had enough torture for one day or that he'd had enough bruises for one day. I didn't feel one ounce of remorse for his probably badly beaten ribcage after what he had done to me. He deserved it.

He finally let go of me. I rolled onto my side, curling into a ball and letting the last dying laughs seep out as I panted. He chuckled and laid down next to me on the now crushed flowerbed. He pulled me loosely into his arms and I complied, only because I was too weak to do anything about it. We laid in silence for a few moments, letting the daylight soak up our pale skin. I rested my head against his chest, feeling suddenly sleepy and peaceful. Not one to hold grudges, at least for very long, I decided to forgive him for the near-death experience and just enjoy the atmosphere. After a few seconds he asked, "Are you still going to strangle me tonight?"

"No," I sighed, tracing circles into his shirt. "And I guess you won. The half hour is up."

"Does it really matter?" He muttered, and I didn't argue with him.

I lazily watched the meadow out of my peripheral vision. Above the labyrinth of vines were a dragonfly and a butterfly fluttering around in random patterns. The dragonfly was graceful yet structured; it buzzed around uniformly but had its own way as well. The butterfly was more spontaneous and airy, but was grounded in a sensible way. They both waited for each other before flying in another direction; they never continued down the garden without the other by it side.

"Hey, Kyouya," I mumbled.

"Hm?" He replied quietly; he was occupied with drawing random pictures on the bare skin of my lower back where my t-shirt had ridden up.

"You see those?" I pointed towards the insects, snuggling into his shirt.

He watched them dance for a few moments, immersed in their movements.

In a tiny voice he asked, "What about them?"

I watched them float through a patch of light in the musky air. It was nearing sunset - they were probably looking for some place to rest for the night. "Do they remind you of us?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Which one am I?"

I deliberated for a second. "The dragonfly, I suppose."

He turned his head towards me, locking our eyes. With a slight smile he whispered, "I'll be the dragonfly if you'll be my butterfly."

I grimaced. "That was sickeningly cheesy, even for you, Kyouya."

He allowed a small laugh and kissed me lightly. I closed my eyes and broke the kiss, leaning my forehead against his and intertwining our fingers.

"Kyouya?" I asked again, my voice tentative.

"Yeah?" He answered, sounding more relaxed than I'd seen him in a long time.

"Why did you want to stay inside so badly?"

He looked like he was taken off guard. With a bit of confusion he replied, "Why do you think I wanted to stay inside?"

I crinkled my brow. "You just wanted to keep fooling around with me in there. I mean, why'd you want to stay walled up in that boring old mansion when you could've been right here, enjoying the outdoors?"

He hesitated, then said softly, "It wasn't the house. I just wanted to stay with you."

It was my turn to be confused. "I wasn't going to go anywhere. I wanted to go out and do something with you, together, remember?"

He tightened his hold on me. "I know," he admitted. "It's just that I've always liked consistency. I've had so much taken away from me...I'd rather have things stay the same than have to deal with change."

"Consistency?" I asked incredulously. "But that's so boring! I mean, without change life gets kind of dull, doesn't it?"

"Not for me," he said with a somewhat bitter grin. I didn't smile. I felt suddenly sad. "What's going to happen if I ever lose you, Kaoru? How will I be able to live?"

I paused, not exactly sure what to say. "It's going to happen someday, Kyouya," I started. "Even the Shadow King can't avoid death. We just have to hope that that day isn't any time soon. And since we don't know when that day is, we have to live every day like it's our last, just in case." He didn't say anything, so I waited.

"That's why I want to spend as much time with you as possible," he whispered eventually. "I want to just hold you in my arms and never let go."

I watched the butterfly drift into the edge of the trees. The dragonfly dutifully followed after it. They were never a foot away from each other. "I can't stay indoors forever, Kyouya. I have to experience everything I can with the time I have. We have to take risks sometimes, and let go of familiarity for a while."

He stayed silent. The sun had finally set, and only wisps of struggling light remained in the sky. The meadow was still beautiful but ominous at the same time. In a shaky voice I asked, "Kyouya, are you afraid of dying?"

He didn't answer for the longest time. His face was black, his eyes to dark for me to decipher. Finally he said, "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm just afraid that there's nothing to look forward to afterwards. That all of this just ends in nothing. That one of these days will be my last with you, permanently."

I almost laughed, a strange bubbly feeling pitting in my stomach. "Do you really think a life this amazing can exist without an afterlife? I know there's something incredible waiting for us after we die. And if not, I know we'll be together at the very least. We can be together in the nothingness."

He ran his thumb across my cheekbone. "I'm still skeptical," he said after a moment, and I smiled.

"I'll prove you wrong," I chided. "I'll be the one teasing you for centuries to come about how I was right and how you were so unbelievably wrong."

"I hope so," he said with a sigh, sinking into the ground and closing his eyes. "I am the demon lord after all, though," he added as a second thought, "You'll have to work on that criminal record of yours if you wish to join me in hell."

"You're too hot to go to hell," I replied in a playful tone. "Way too sexy. Maybe in the prostitute-stripper-16-and-pregnant side of hell."

"Sure, Kaoru," he dismissed with a laugh, muffing any further comments I had with a deep kiss. I tangled my fingers in his hair, bringing us closer together. He cupped the side of my face, sighing into the kiss. He abruptly pulled away, and before I could complain he said, "You know I love you, right?"

I snickered, rolling my eyes. "More than anything in the universe," I recited, poking him in the chest. "You don't have to tell me every five seconds."

"I just don't want you to forget," he defended wryly. After another short kiss, he added in a serious tone, "I really do love you, though. And I still want to take you to Europe."

"Tonight?" I asked hopefully, suddenly in anticipation.

"No," he scolded lightly, "It's still a school night. We have responsibilities. Besides-" he scooted himself closer to me, feeling the heat between our bodies, "For now, at least, I'm rather enjoying myself."

Again, I rolled my eyes, but silently agreed with him. I was perfectly happy with just being in his arms. For now, at least. "Alright, you win. But this weekend, we're going to see the ancient Greek ruins, and the cathedrals in Scotland, and the Coliseum in Rome…" I trailed off, my eyes a thousand miles away in our future.

He held my hand gingerly, rubbing my wrist in minuscule circles. "Just shut up and kiss me," he interrupted before I could start to ramble, and I smiled despite everything. I gladly complied, kissing him fiercely before leaning back once again and saying, "And for the record, I love you too."

It was Kyouya's turn to roll his eyes. "I thought so," he mumbled, and captured my lips in such a way that silenced me for the remainder of the night.

And so hours later, still in each other's arms, we fell asleep under the crisp moonlight of our meadow, forgetting the rest of the world. At least for the time being.

* * *

**AN:** I'm sort of torn about how this turned out. I can't decide if I like it or not. You guys tell me what you think. I'm a filthy review whore. Thanks for reading! **~Aly**


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